The UK is Over Gender Stereotypes

The UK is Over Gender Stereotypes

The Advertising Standards Authority, also known as the ASA, is a self-regulatory organization of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom — and they’re over brands perpetuating tired and harmful gender stereotypes in their advertisements and marketing. So much so that, back in June, they actually banned gender stereotyping in advertising, as they found it can “contribute to inequality in society.”

Recently, after the ASA received complaints, big brands Volkswagen and Philadelphia were the first to be hit with the ban due to two of their advertisements in the UK. The Volkswagen ad depicts people performing various activities, but, while men are shown as astronauts and athletes, they chose to depict the woman in the ad sitting next to a baby stroller on a park bench. ASA said “thank u, next” to that one.

On the other side, Philadelphia cream cheese put out a commercial featuring a new dad becoming so distracted by food on a conveyor belt, that he doesn’t even notice his child being carried away on said conveyor belt. Um? That would never happen in real life. The ASA cited this ad as perpetuating the damaging stereotype that men are incapable of properly caring for children.

And you know what? I am really effing sick of boring, archaic gender stereotyping too, so shout out to the ASA for doing something about it. The truth is, the advertising, images, story lines and characters that we are imbued with as a society on a daily basis stick in our subconscious — so this is important, and a big step forward in favor of gender equality. Hopefully the U.S. can get on board and develop similar guidelines!